North Jetty (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let's have a look at what's coming up for the Hikkaduwa area. I'll be honest with you, the big picture over the next 16 days is a bit of a frustrating one for us. There's surf on the cards, but the wind and weather just aren't playing ball. We're looking at a run of poor conditions for most of it, with the odd glimmer of something rideable.

We'll start on Wednesday the 8th. The swell is there, about 5 ft from the west with moderate energy (908), but that cross-onshore wind from the west at 16 mph is going to chop it all up. It's just messy. That same story repeats through Thursday and Friday the 10th, with moderate cross-onshore winds and a choppy sea state.

The weekend isn't much better. Saturday the 11th still has that onshore energy. Come Sunday the 12th, the wind goes more onshore, which is a change for the worse. The swell is still around 5 ft to 6 ft from the west, but it's blown out.

We then hit a real lull. From Monday the 13th right through to Sunday the 19th of July, it's a flat and poor stretch. The swell drops right down, mostly under 3 ft, and it’s coming from the southwest with a long period of 15 to 18 seconds. That kind of long-period groundswell can be clean at the right spots, but here it just means weak energy and onshore wind. It’s a quiet period, with most days showing less than 700 in the combined energy.

Now, things perk up a little at the end. On Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, we get a jump in swell size, with the combined energy climbing well over 1000. By Tuesday the 21st, we’re looking at 5 ft swell from the south-southwest with strong energy (1290). But here’s the kicker: the wind is a fresh cross-onshore breeze at 19 mph. That’s going to make it lumpy and poor. For a point break like North Jetty, which is geared for an optimum swell from the southwest, the direction is good, but the quality is just not there. This feels more like a kite surfing window than one for a clean paddle session. The rest of the week to the 23rd follows the same pattern.

Look, the water temperature is a warm 84°, which is about a degree warmer than usual for this time of year, so it's nice for a swim, but it won't save the surf. The only spot we’ve got data for is North Jetty (Hikkaduwa) and it’s a fairly consistent point break that works on that SW swell, but the wind machine just won’t turn off. There’s no standout session in this entire forecast.

Signing off,
Rusty

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